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<br />002783 <br /> <br />endangered fish for the Recovery Program. A report entitled "Facilities Assessment for Propagating <br />Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin" (Willliamson 1992) was prepared in <br />June, 1992 to aid development ofthe physical and operational infrastructure for captive propagation <br />of the endangered fishes. This report identified short-term and long-term fish population needs, <br />identified facilities needs including design considerations and construction criteria, and provided <br />guidance to water acquisition specialists, engineers, and hatchery managers. <br /> <br />Further propagation guidance was provided in 1994 in the report entitled "Coordinated Hatchery <br />Facility Plan: Need for Captive-Reared Endangered Fish and Propagation Facilities" (Wydoski <br />1994a). This plan serves as a reference document to guide the propagation of the four endangered <br />Colorado River fishes including guidelines for stocking and the disposition of excess captive-reared <br />endangered fishes. The need for additional propagation facilities in the Upper Colorado River Basin <br />was summarized in this plan as follows: <br /> <br />"Existing hatchery facilities are not sufficient to develop and maintain endangered fish in refuges <br />for broodstock development The available pond space in propagation facilities that are dedicated <br />for endangered fish in 1994 is 6 acres. The space will be expanded to about 7.2 acres by 1995. <br />The space requirement to meet anticipated Recovery Program immediate and short-term needs <br />for captive-reared endangered fish is 27.3 acres. Therefore, a deficit exists of20.1 acres in primary <br />and backup refuges." <br /> <br />Immediate (1 year) needs involve protection of wild stocks from becoming extinct Short-term needs <br />involve development and maintenance of genetically sound brood stocks in refuges and the production <br />of captive-reared fish for field and laboratory experiments. <br /> <br />The available pond space, including facilities planned for construction through 1997 (see Section 5.3), <br />totals 19.05 acres, not including a 5 acre growout pond at Horsethie[ Assuming the immediate and <br />short-term needs have not changed substantially, a deficit condition still exists among the available <br />propagation facilities. This deficit does not include the need for captive-reared fish for proposed <br />augmentation and restoration stocking. <br /> <br />5.2 Colorado Water Conservation Board Hatchery Feasibility Study <br /> <br />In 1989, in support of objective 5 of the Propagation/Genetics Management Plan, the Colorado <br />Legislature authorized the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to prepare a feasibility <br />study offish culture techniques and fish hatchery construction and operation for propagation of the <br />four endangered fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin. The study was intended to identify and <br />evaluate sixteen potential sites within the State of Colorado for locating a hatchery facility for <br />recovery of the endangered fish. It would also identify technical and biological issues associated with <br />the hatchery facility and provide a compendium ofliterature. <br /> <br />The literature review and review of existing propagation facilities was completed in March, 1990. <br />Thirty three sites throughout Colorado were evaluated by the project's Technical Advisory <br />Committee. Based on site selection criteria, the initial 33 sites were screened to 16. Evaluation <br />criteria were grouped into six major categories: water source, water quality including temperature, <br />site physical factors, biological considerations, locational factors, and probable cost. A matrix was <br /> <br />23 <br />